This time of year, most sale barns in this area take a week or so off for wheat harvest and such so daddy gets 10 or so days of built in vacation time. Are we blessed or what?!
Since we went to Texas last month, we’re opting for more of a stay-cation – with a few day trips thrown in for good measure. We’ve already been to Nebraska to see the grandparents and Oklahoma cousins. We got to go to Cody Park and feed animals and ride the rides…we stopped in at the Children’s Museum in Kearney with good friends and today we had really great company come to the house for lunch! The kids were stoked to have visitors and we loved every minute with them! (More on that later).
Last night, daddy took us to supper and we stopped at the fireworks stand on the way home. Tonight, Wrexy lit some up and the kids had a BLAST!
They stood on the edge of the yard, holding hands waiting for the bang and the flash of lights. Their little eyes were wide with excitement and anticipation. Wryder jumped nearly every time but then would squeal with glee and run around asking daddy for more.
I love their excitement and zeal over all kinds of things…from fireworks to new swimsuits to meeting real live missionaries to eating Mexican food to watching a DVD in the car to seeing new baby chicks to spotting the moon in the sky before it’s even dark…the world around them is new and exciting and ready for them to explore…..AND? As their parents, we get the pleasure of taking that journey with them.
Friends of wee ones, we are living in the best days of our lives, I am convinced! Wrex and I were married for 5 years before we started having babies and those 5 years were really sweet. We did that {horrible, awful, ridiculous, no good} long distance dating thing for 3 years before we were married so it was so nice to have some “us” time. It allowed us to really solidify our marriage and prepare ourselves for raising children.
As good as that time was, we love this time of our lives even more. To be able to see and feel and interact with the product of our love is such a treasure. Oh yes, there are some hours and days that may feel long but oh – the joy far outweighs the work and the blood, sweat and tears that go into this parenting thing.
There’s a chance that you’ll never be this loved, this exciting, this worthy of emulation in their eyes ever again. Revel in it.
Friends, I encourage you to soak up those kiddos of yours this summer…
Say yes a little more often…
Go swimming more than you want to and get in that swimsuit and jump in with them…
Eat at McDonalds (or Mickey Don-dalds) even if you just drink a Dr. Pepper…
Blow bubbles and jump on trampolines and go on nature walks…
Look for ways to show them grace…
Get messy and muddy and eat popsicles to beat the band…
Take lots of pictures and capture those smiles and squeals and ingrain them in your mind’s eye for days to come…
These are the best days of our lives. Soak them up.
Yes x 1000! Love this , Stef and wish you and the Fam all llove. All of it! xxoo
YES IT IS WONDERFUL TO SEE THE WORLD THROUGH YOUR KIDS EYES!
THERE WILL COME A TIME THAT YOU WILL DISCOVER THE NEXT LEVEL OF JOYS WHEN YOU BECOME A GRANDPARENT!
THANK YOU LORD, FOR THESE WONDERFUL BLESSINGS YOU PLACE IN OUR LIVES! CHILDREN/GRANDCHILDREN!